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Tuesday, Mar. 13, 2018

BBC Studioworks adds 22 Fujinon 4K HDR TV lenses

Fujinon 4K HDR TV lenses

LONDON --

In September 2017, BBC Studioworks, a commercial subsidiary of the BBC, reopened its studio and postproduction facility at Television Centre, incorporating some of the most state-of- the-art technologies in the UK studio industry. The three studios as well as the facility’s edit suites have already played host to programming for a range of broadcasters and production companies.

In addition to a new fleet of 4K television cameras, screens and switchers, 22 Fujinon 4K HDR TV lenses were installed, enabling productions to be shot in both 4K and HDR.

Elom Bell, procurement manager at BBC Studioworks, said of the company’s decision to invest in new 4K lenses, “Television Centre needs to offer our clients the very latest technology, with full capability of hosting 4K and HDR productions. In the case of the lenses we provide, we need to ensure they last for many years to come. Fujinon delivered on time and spent a whole day on site, helping to test and configure all of the lenses”.

Marc Horner, marketing manager for Fujinon TV lenses at Fujifilm UK, adds “Fujinon UA box and ENG lenses are simply the best on the market in terms of resolution and HDR capability. Light entering the lens is the first step in any production and anything that is lost at this stage cannot be recovered. This is why we have ensured our lenses contain the best technology to ensure every last detail is captured, and the blacks stay as black as possible.”

Since opening in September, Strictly Come Dancing’s popular spinoff show, It Takes Two, and star-studded chat show, The Jonathan Ross Show, were some of the first productions to record at BBC Studioworks’ Television Centre facility.

In this Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017, file photo, Broadcom CEO Hock Tan speaks while U.S. President Donald Trump listens, in background, during an event at the White House in Washington, to announce the company is moving its global headquarters to the United States. In a decision announced Monday, March 12, 2018, Trump is blocking Singapore chipmaker Broadcom from pursuing a hostile takeover of U.S. rival Qualcomm on the grounds that the combination would threaten national security. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

By Michael Liedtke & Zeke Miller

WASHINGTON (AP) --

President Donald Trump blocked Singapore chipmaker Broadcom from pursuing a hostile takeover of U.S. rival Qualcomm, ruling the proposed combination would imperil national security.

The decision, announced late Monday, abruptly ends Broadcom's four-month, $117 billion bid to buy Qualcomm — a deal that would have been the largest ever completed in the technology industry.

In a statement, Broadcom said it "strongly disagrees" that the acquisition raises any national-security concerns. Qualcomm did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump's order gives Broadcom few options other than to drop its bid, said Macquarie Securities analyst Srinivas Pajjuri.

Broadcom faced challenges almost from the start of its quest. Qualcomm quickly spurned its unsolicited suitor and continued to resist even after Broadcom raised its original offer from $103 billion.

Broadcom's Singapore connections complicated matters, even though the company maintained its physical headquarters in Silicon Valley and virtually all of its shareholders are in the U.S.

The Trump administration nevertheless balked at the prospect of a prominent U.S. chipmaker being owned by a foreign company, particularly at a time countries around the world are gearing up to build ultra-fast "5G" mobile networks that could tip the balance of power in technology.

Although its name isn't widely known outside the technology industry, Qualcomm is one of the world's leading makers of the processors that power many smartphones and other mobile devices. Qualcomm also owns patents on key pieces of mobile technology that Apple and other manufacturers rely upon in their products.

Qualcomm is fending off allegations in complaints filed by Apple and government regulators around the world that it has abused the power of its mobile patents to throttle competition and charge excessive royalties for its technology.

Broadcom CEO Hock Tan had seized on Qualcomm's legal headaches in his attempt to persuade the U.S. government to keep the deal alive. "Qualcomm faces a number of challenges that hamper its role in developing 5G," Tan wrote in a letter sent to U.S. Congress last week. Unlike Qualcomm, Tan said, Broadcom financed its innovation through "lawful practices."

Trump decided to squelch Broadcom's bid on the recommendation of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which reviews foreign purchases of U.S. entities.

The decision didn't come as a surprise. Earlier this month, the committee branded the proposed deal a potential security risk that could hobble the U.S.'s ability to make the smooth and quick transition to 5G.

In an attempt to ease those worries, Broadcom last week pledged to make the U.S. a leader in the race to build 5G networks, saying it would create a $1.5 billion fund to support the effort if took control of Qualcomm.

Broadcom also tried to curry favor by moving its legal headquarters from Singapore to the U.S within the next few weeks.

Singapore became Broadcom's legal home two years ago after it was sold to Avago, a company that once was part of Silicon Valley pioneer Hewlett-Packard.

Broadcom's company's physical headquarters is already in San Jose, California — about 450 miles from Qualcomm's headquarters in San Diego.

Trump hosted Broadcom's Tan in the White House last year when the executive announced the proposed move.

Now that Broadcom has been shoved aside, Qualcomm will be under pressure to prevent its stock price from sinking while trying to complete its own proposed takeover — a proposed $43 billion purchase of NXP Semiconductors.

"Now it's on (Qualcomm's) management to deliver on what they promised," Pajjuri said.

Liedtke reported from San Francisco. AP Technology Writer Ryan Nakashima in San Francisco contributed to this story.

Addis Ababa State TV places Facilis shared storage at heart of new digital production workflow

Addis Ababa's TV control room

HUDSON, Mass. --

Facilis, an international supplier of cost-effective, high performance shared storage solutions for collaborative media production networks, has announced the successful installation of a multi-user shared storage system within a new state-of-the-art broadcast production facility in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Facilis has supplied a TerraBlock 24EX/16 64TB shared storage system to Ethiopian regional broadcaster, Addis Ababa State TV (Addis Ababa City Government Mass Media Agency). Throughout the project, Facilis worked closely with local channel partner, Onset Media Systems.

Addis Ababa City Government Mass Media Agency is known as “the voice of the city,” operating Addis Lisan magazine and the Metropolitan Journal alongside its TV station. Addis Ababa State TV is a 24/7 TV channel broadcasting a mixture of news, current affairs and entertainment programs over satellite and digital terrestrial broadcasts. To enhance its digital broadcast resources, Addis Ababa State TV appointed Onset Media Systems to design, build and commission a new digital workflow.

Onset Media Systems specializes in the design and integration of bespoke systems to meet the needs of mission critical applications within its client operations. At Addis Ababa State TV, it has placed Facilis shared storage at the heart of a complete new digital workflow which supports all of its TV and radio production operations. The Facilis storage system was commissioned in September and the new digital workflow will come online in the coming months.

The Facilis TerraBlock storage system features state-of-the-art high-speed connectivity. It provides a combination of Ethernet (10Gb) plus Fibre Channel (8Gb) connectivity. This advanced multi-user shared storage system is supporting a network of almost 100 editors and other creative production executives at Addis Ababa TV’s production headquarters.

Within this advanced connectivity, staff are able to share content and work collaboratively across the entire spectrum of production activities. The Facilis storage integrates alongside SI Media’s media asset management (MAM), ingest and playout systems, as well as Grass Valley Edius editing and SI Media’s Newsroom system.

Having installed this advanced storage architecture, Addis Ababa has effectively future-proofed its operations in the long-term. In particular, the Fibre Channel option means that the broadcaster can up-scale to HD and 4K workflows in the future, as and when it is needed.

Onset Media Systems is responsible for the design, integration and commissioning of this major new digital workflow--it was their decision to integrate Facilis shared storage in this mission critical application. “The client was attracted to Facilis because of its advanced connectivity options at affordable prices,” said Jody Dresner, managing director--commercial at Onset Media Systems. “Fibre Channel storage is a very attractive facility for Addis Ababa and this is integrated within a proven, reliable storage system that meets all of our production needs today and long into the future.”

“In Africa, we face a different set of challenges--both physical and economic--than you will find in Europe or North America,” Dresner added. “Facilis TerraBlock is a proven, reliable storage platform that offers advanced capabilities with associated investment costs that are affordable to our clients --it is a real win-win scenario.”

GPL Technologies has hired Felix Fissel to lead its VFXnow unit as VP of global operations. Fissel, an IT specialist with deep experience in the visual effects industry, will oversee VFXnow operations in Los Angeles, New York, and Vancouver. He will also lead business development and seek to expand markets for the unit, a hardware-as-a-service provider to visual effects studios, game developers, editing houses and other creative services companies. Additionally, he will spearhead the launch of a new cloud-based service that will provide visual effects companies with virtual access to rendering capacity, workstations and other high-performance technology.

“Felix brings impressive technical expertise and a clear vision for moving VFXnow forward,” said GPL CEO Brian Terrell. “His passion and experience in visual effects is critical to our ability to meet our clients’ current needs and develop innovative, new resources that will carry them into the future.”

Fissel joins VFXnow from the visual effects studio Pixomondo. As global head of IT, he was responsible for managing the technical infrastructure for seven facilities across three continents. Originally from Germany, he was trained as an engineer at Fachhochschule, Darmstadt, before joining Pixomondo in 2006.

A key mission for Fissel will be to broaden VFXnow’s offering through cloud-based services. The company plans to introduce a platform that will allow visual effects studios to access rendering, storage and computer resources on an as-needed basis through a private network. “We’re expanding the concept of hardware-as-a-service,” he said. “Companies often need to add capacity quickly but lack physical space to store extra rendering nodes and storage systems. Our clients will be able to access as many render nodes as they need, instantly, without worrying about things like space, power and cooling.”

Fissel added that VFXnow is uniquely qualified to deliver integrated cloud services for visual effects production. “Our model will be less expensive and more attuned to the needs of visual effects studios than other solutions,” he said.

Filmotechnic, the Academy Award-winning fabricator of camera systems, camera cranes, and gyro stabilized heads for film, motion picture and ad industries, deployed its resources to provide viewers with extensive coverage of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. This is the latest of multiple Olympic Games that Filmotechnic has been contracted to supply their image stabilization equipment. In the U.S., Filmotechnic USA is best known for its leading camera car fleet.

The 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang were expected to be cold, but the weather was more severe than predicted. Wind and ice pellets left Olympic snowboarders simply trying to stay on course. Ski jumpers dealt with snow “tornadoes” and swirling gusts. Bi-athletes tried to ski and to shoot straight in bitter cold and high cross winds. Qualifying runs for the Women’s Slopestyle were called off after 50 runs resulted in 41 falls or athletes simply giving up. Through it all, the Filmotechnic equipment performed flawlessly.

Filmotechnic’s team began prepping two years ago for the 2018 Winter Olympics. To handle the demand for equipment, a new fabrication facility employing over 200 technicians was built in the Ukraine. Being engineered and tested in the Ukraine, known for its unpredictable weather, helped to develop trouble-free equipment. To cover all the venues, Filmotechnic deployed 30 cranes and other rigs specially designed to capture all the action. Depending on the day, 30 to 50 technicians were operating the equipment.

Founded by Anatoliy Kokush, Filmotechnic is a front runner in research and development of camera car systems, cranes, flight heads and other image stabilization technologies. Kokush is a two-time Academy Award Winner in the 78th Annual Scientific and Engineering Awards for his development of the Russian Arm gyro-stabilized camera crane and flight head.

Panavision will explore the beauty of 8K large format in an eye-opening presentation at SXSW on March 13 at 11 a.m. at the Vimeo Theater in Austin, Texas. Attendees at the interactive discussion will learn about the symbiotic relationship between full-frame imaging devices and large-format optics, and how these tools can help improve production value while remaining cost effective. The session will also present clips that demonstrate the benefits of 8K capture and how ultra-high resolution equates to more creative control.

Panavision’s Dan Sasaki, an optical engineer who has developed and customized lenses for such films as “Dunkirk,” “The Hateful Eight,” and “Saving Private Ryan,” will lead the presentation. Joining him will be Panavision’s Aaron Kroger, director of digital camera systems, and Light Iron Senior Colorist Sean Dunckley.

Sasaki developed many of Panavision’s popular anamorphic and large-format lenses. Since joining the company in 1986, he has designed and customized optics for many award-winning cinematographers, including Steve Yedlin, ASC (“Star Wars: The Last Jedi”); Haris Zambarloukos, BSC, GSC (“Murder on the Orient Express”); and Rachel Morrison, ASC (“Black Panther”).

Kroger began his career at Light Iron, where he was instrumental in designing the facility’s Outpost mobile post lab as well as training camera crews how to use them on-set. He supported Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln,” several seasons of “Criminal Minds,” 3D features such as “The Amazing Spider-Man,” and dozens of movies. After Light Iron was acquired by Panavision, Kroger joined the team that created the Millennium DXL camera and has been instrumental in demonstrating the new camera to cinematographers, directors, and studio executives.

Dunckley has collaborated with some of the industry’s top talent working on features, commercials, and television shows. His credits include Dan Fogelman’s upcoming feature “Life Itself,” past SXSW selections “Patti Cake$,” “Lucky,” and “Kelly & Cal,” and this year’s Oscar-nominated short “Heroin(e).” He has also colored music videos for John Mellencamp, Dr. John, and Beyoncé.

Avid Technology Inc.’s board of directors has appointed Jeff Rosica as CEO of Avid, effective immediately. He replaces Louis Hernandez, Jr., whose employment the board has terminated due to violations of company policies related to workplace conduct. Former CEO Hernandez also resigned from his position on the Avid board of directors and Nancy Hawthorne has been elected chairman of the board.

Rosica, who takes on the CEO mantle while retaining his role as president, joined Avid in early 2013. He is a well-known industry veteran with more than 30 years’ experience in broadcast, media and entertainment. Prior to his role as president, he served as SVP, chief sales and marketing officer for the company.

Hawthorne said, “Jeff’s deep experience as an industry expert coupled with his impressive knowledge of Avid’s business and strategy make him the natural choice to lead the company.”

Avid president and CEO Rosica said, “I am honored and excited for this opportunity to lead Avid through this important moment in the company’s history. The outlook for Avid is strong, and I look forward to working with the leadership team, the board and our incredibly talented employees as we execute on our strategic priorities and continue our journey to be a best-in-class company and leader in our industry.”

With the assistance of independent external legal counsel, a special committee comprising independent members of the board of directors conducted a thorough investigation into allegations of improper non-financially related workplace conduct by Hernandez. After reviewing the findings of the special committee’s investigation, the board of directors unanimously concluded that the findings warranted immediate termination of Hernandez’s employment.

Hawthorne said, “The board is committed to the company’s core values and to upholding an environment of the utmost respect and integrity. We remain confident in the strategy and the long-term business plan of the company.”

IABM, the international trade association for suppliers of broadcast and media technology, has released the first of its new format Supply Trends Reports. Covering the six months to December 2017, the Supply Trends Report combines actual financial data on the broadcast and media supply sector drawn from public and private sources with survey evidence from members on current trends, issues and sentiment.

Analysis of the data is carried out by IABM’s in-house analysts, headed by lead analyst Lorenzo Zanni, and gives an authoritative overview of the performance of, and outlook for, the broadcast and media technology supply sector. Following is a headline summary of the Report’s findings.

Year-on-year sales in the broadcast and media technology market grew by 1.2% in December 2017, with SMEs’ performance improving at a faster rate than large companies for the first time in several years. But while sales improved slightly, profit growth continued to slow, running at 75.9% of the December 2016 level. The continuing shift in buyers’ preferences for software running in generic IT technology, their increased concern for efficiency and a highly competitive market are all continuing to exert pressure on selling prices, with margins reducing despite vendors decreasing expenditure on R&D, recruitment, sales, marketing and shows.

The transition to software (including the cloud) is well underway, though hardware remains the primary source of both revenues and profits for most suppliers--with profits in sharp decline. However, some respondents whose primary source of revenues is hardware also said that their primary source of profits is now software, which generally carries higher margins than hardware.

Unsurprisingly given the Supply Trends Report’s findings on profitability, the IABM confidence ratio, which reflects business sentiment looking forward for the next year, declined from a fairly robust 7.4 mid-2017 to a less optimistic 5.6 in December 2017; this is relatively low by historical standards. Companies that primarily rely on software revenues were however significantly more confident than those primarily relying on hardware revenues--reflecting the now long-standing transition of technology buyers from hardware to software.

The Report also reflects the continuing difficulty for companies in recruiting staff with both the broadcast and IT skillsets needed today.

“Although some suppliers are going through difficult times at present, there are reasons to remain positive about the future of media technology,” said Peter White, CEO, IABM. “2018 is a ‘spike’ year with plenty of events-related spending guaranteeing growth and opportunities for many--particularly with SMPTE ST2110 now published and giving end-users the confidence to move forward with their IP plans.

“Adoption of emerging technologies will continue to rise, driving more growth for those suppliers that have invested in them. In the longer term, technology spending will continue to grow as traditional technology users try to keep up with the volatile nature of online video, leaving a plethora of opportunities for suppliers,” White concluded.

SMPTE® has issued a call for technical manuscript proposals for the SMPTE 2018 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition (SMPTE 2018), which will be held Oct. 23-25 at a new venue, the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites in downtown Los Angeles. Authors must submit their proposals by May 28.

Held annually by SMPTE, the technical conference is the world’s premier forum for the exploration of media and entertainment technology. This year’s program committee is co-chaired by two SMPTE Fellows: Thomas Edwards, vice president engineering and development at Fox, and SMPTE Education Director Sara J. Kudrle, product marketing manager for playout at Imagine Communications. The committee is being overseen by SMPTE Education Director for Conference Programs Yvonne Thomas, product manager at Arvato Systems, and by SMPTE Education Vice President Richard Welsh, co-founder and CEO of Sundog Media Toolkit.

“The program committee intends to build a technical program that will reflect the innovative spirit, dynamic nature, and growing inclusion that characterize today’s media and entertainment industry,” said Welsh. “Presenting a paper at SMPTE 2018 offers researchers, engineers, educators, executives, creatives, and students with a unique opportunity to share their expertise, and we welcome proposals from all variety of professionals working in our field.”

Authors of manuscript proposals selected by the 2018 program committee will have the opportunity to present at the event and network with the industry’s most esteemed technology thought leaders and engineering executives. Program sessions address advancements in current technology, plus future-looking developments in media technology, content creation, image and sound, and the allied arts and sciences.

Proposed papers must be informational and must address technical theory, research, innovation, application, or practice specific to any of the evolving technologies associated with the media and entertainment industry. Papers that are commercial or promotional will not be considered, nor will those that have already been published. Student papers are strongly encouraged.

Instructions on submitting an abstract, along with a comprehensive listing of potential topics, are available here. Early submission of paper proposals will ensure consideration by the SMPTE 2018 program committee. May 28 is the firm deadline for abstract submissions.

Final proposal selection and notification to authors will occur no later than July 20. To ensure SMPTE has time to process papers for the conference, selected presenters must provide an electronic version of the final technical manuscript to the Society no later than Sept. 28.

Following SMPTE 2018, SMPTE will publish accepted manuscripts to the SMPTE Digital Library hosted on the IEEE Xplore platform, and video of each paper presentation will be posted to the Society’s YouTube channel. Submitted manuscripts will also go through peer review for possible publication in the award-winning SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal.

This year the SMPTE conference will boast a larger high-tech exhibit hall and more seating for its three days of technical sessions. The event also will feature special events including two cocktail receptions, the Annual Awards Gala, and a preconference Symposium, all of which bring attendees unparalleled opportunities for professional development, relationship building, and “mind sharing.” SMPTE 2018 also provides exhibitors and sponsors with a unique opportunity to showcase their latest products and technologies while increasing brand visibility.

The TV Convergence Working Group--an omnibus industry group comprised of nine leading associations for advertisers, ad agencies, media distribution companies, broadcasters and independent production and postproduction companies--has approved a set of digital video file deliverable specifications designed to simplify the distribution of digital ad content across media platforms.

The task force was launched in early 2017 to standardize the distribution specs for video ads to streamline cross-platform video delivery. After months of research and discussion, the group arrived at a set of delivery specs for digital video which it believes are well-suited to handle the large majority of spots seen on broadcast and cable TV, on the internet and on mobile devices.

The Working Group addressed specific areas the organizations have identified as being critical for meeting the ever-growing digital appetite of marketers and consumers. These included not just file delivery specifications but also advertising metadata and audio specifications and best practices for both High Definition and Standard Definition video. The file specs also include an embedded Ad-ID identifier, which supports a range of workflow improvements. The specs can be downloaded here.

To date, a number of media distribution companies have endorsed these specs and agreed to accept them as a current de facto industry standard. This group includes Adstream, Comcast Ad Delivery, Extreme Reach, Fotokem, Sound80, Spot Traffic, Syncro Services and Yangaroo.

The TV Convergence Working Group behind this effort included representatives from AICP, the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s Technology Lab, the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As), the Digital Production Partnership, Ltd. (DPP), the North American Broadcasters Association (NABA), the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM), the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) and Ad-iD, the service launched by ANA and the 4As to identify and track advertising assets across all media channels.

“By using the AICP File Deliverable Specifications, any entity engaged in the production or postproduction of digital video ad content will benefit from a simplified, more uniform process of encoding and uploading files,” said Ryan Schnizlein, chair of AICP’s Technical Committee and chief technology officer at Cutters Studios. “This move will go a long way to clarify a marketplace situation that’s needlessly inefficient and complicated, adding time and cost to the advertising supply chain.”